Taxi drivers, who spend most of their working time driving, have an important role to improve road safety and save lives. They could be the first voluntary responder for any victims of road accidents and other emergencies.

For this reason, the Red Cross and Grab Taxi have partnered in Southeast Asia to promote road safety, provide emergency assistance and equip Grab fleet drivers with life-saving skills and road safety knowledge. The multinational partnership involves Grab, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and its National Societies in six countries across the region, Thailand being one of the frontrunners.

As part of this partnership, the Thai Red Cross Society is planning to provide basic first aid trainings for more than 360 selected Grab Taxi drivers during the first year. The trainings are happening once a month and each session will equip dozens of Grab Taxi drivers with basic first aid skills and road safety knowledge.

The first of these trainings was held in Thailand with the active participation of 32 Grab Taxi drivers. One of them was Papob Mungyoo, who has been working as a Grab Taxi driver since the company started in Thailand.

“We taxi drivers are always on the streets. I’ve seen many small accidents happen, but before this training, I did not know what I could do. Now I’m confident that I could help in case of an emergency. I think that little by little we should teach basic first aid to everyone on the streets,” Mungyoo says.

The training included first aid skills in theory as well as through a lot of practical scenarios and exercises. Mungyoo was very happy with the participatory techniques of the Thai Red Cross first aid trainers and is eager to learn more advanced skills.

“These skills will make me a better driver, but can be useful outside of work too. We can pass this knowledge to our families and friends, making our communities safer,” Mungyoo says.

A basic first aid kit is provided for all participants who successfully completed the training. Together the training and the kit will empower drivers to be the first responders during road accidents to improve road safety and save lives.